How to Plan for an Interesting Vacation

I love vacations, and I don’t think anyone doesn't  But planning is very essential in making the vacation interesting to you. Let me share my planning procedure with you all!

• Choose a destination. 

     Choosing the right destination can make your trip more enjoyable and     memorable. There aren't many rules in how to choose it; you choose wherever you feel like going! For instance, I like to go to tropical places during winter because I can escape from the cold weather and wear pretty summer clothes, and also most tropical places’ winter is more comfortable than summer; summer can be unbearably hot and humid but winter is warm and dry. But this is not always the case, sometimes I feel like to go to somewhere that’s covered in snow and go for skiing and see ice sculptures. You can have millions of reasons of why you want to go somewhere, but be sure that you know that is the place you want to go.

• Do I have enough money? 

     Ask yourself this question before going. This can be a factor that you choose your destinations. Maybe you want to go for a place that’s cheap airfare. Although people say that money isn't everything, it does get on people’s nerves sometimes. You don’t want to go to a place and find out that your money can only pays half of the trip. My parents always say to me that I should never be cheap on myself when traveling. It’s hard to avoid money spending during vacation so it’s really important to plan ahead and make sure that you can afford this trip. If you are going to another country, calculate the currency and exchange some money for that.

• Find out your interests. 

     Everyone has different interests and hobbies. It would make more sense to visit somewhere that interests you. Despite that some people find museums boring, they still visits museums only because that they think they should go to museums if they visit Europe. It wouldn't be fun to visit somewhere that doesn't meet your interest, so why force yourself; after all you pay to have a good time. 

Hope these tips are useful to you. Enjoy your week guys!

10 Things that You Need in Traveling

Traveling is fun, but it also requires a lot of preparation before departing. Being in another city or country or any whole new environment, I would like to see that there's nothing left behind. It just gives me confidence! I remember once I forgot to bring my hair brush to a conference in Portland Maine, I was much more nervous before my presentation than usual. Little things like this may have a great influence on my mood I realized. However, I don’t like to over pack stuff and bring a huge suitcase when everyone else only brings a duffle bag.
I have 10 items that I would bring with me and they have made my travel experience so much more relaxing and convenient! 

1. ID or passport. This is the most important item when you travel. You will need it in the airport, bus station, liquor store... Take it but don't loose it!
2. Some money. This is also the most important thing. Don't ask why...
3. Adapter or transformer plug. If you are traveling to a foreign country, be sure to take this. It won't take too much space and you will need it to charge your phone, laptop and other electronic devices. Some countries have different plugs than America, and some have different voltage, so you need it!
4. Medicine. If you are aware of your minor illnesses or allergies, it would be smart to carry some medicine with you.
5. A camera or a photographer friend. Personally I can't travel without this. Viewing the world through a camera is so amazing and looking at the pictures afterwards is even more fun. If you are not a big fan of photography, just take some with your phone, you will enjoy looking at those pictures later on. 
6. A water bottle. Drink more water so that you don't get sake while having too much fun.
7. A pair of comfortable walking shoes. Shoes are important especially when you are traveling. 
8. One electronic device. Yes one is enough! It can be a laptop, an iPod or a smart phone... anything that you use to inform your family that you're alive.
9. A casual bag. So that you don't need to drag your suitcase everywhere.
10. Any personal items. Contact lenses, make up and whatever you need daily, BRING IT!

Hotel Transylvania

What do you usually bring when you travel?

Travel Tips: Right Time and Right Place

Spring break is coming up, so my friends are planning a trip to Virginia. One thing that’s not in favor to us is the price of hotel room. I can’t believe how much they raise the price during Spring break period; it’s almost twice as much as usual! We could probably save 200 dollars if we were going one month before.

Choosing the right time to travel is very important; sometimes it will lower your cost, and other times it will give you a unique experience of the culture.

A few years ago, a friend from America visited me in February. She came around the time of Chinese New Year, and that was definitely not the appropriate time to visit. During the Chinese New Year, most businesses are closed, so there isn't much to do for tourists. Since it’s the time for family gathering, people from every city want to get back home before the New Years Eve, and as a result, the train stations, airports and bus stations are packed with homesick crowds. Tickets are sold out in one second during this time, so if you travel during this time, it might delay your schedule. There isn't much going on except for the New Year customs. And to be involved in this you need to know someone local. Staying in their house and having New Year’s food would be an awesome experience, but as Benjamin Franklin said “Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days”. Although we did host my friend warmly, it would be more convenient if she had visited two weeks later.

On the other hand, France, Trinidad, Brazil and many other countries have their carnivals in February, and they love to have tourists joining to the party. Mardi Gras, French for “fat Tuesday”, is a celebration before Ash Wednesday. It is not hard to tell that food plays a big role in Mardi Gras. Along with delicious food, people also wear costumes and masks to celebrate. It’s one of the biggest carnivals for many countries in Europe and South America.

It is important to do research before you make the decision of when and where to visit. Back to my Spring break planning, hopefully we can find a cheaper hotel…

A Travel Review of Hong Kong

I've been to Hong Kong several times in my life. The first time was at the age of 6 and I've been in love with this amazing city since then. Hong Kong is located on the Southeast coast of China. It was a colony of England until 1997, thus you don’t have to worry at all if you don’t know their language, in fact, Hong Kong is a bilingual city; most people speak English and public signs are also translated into English. But don’t get me wrong, Hong Kong is not a westernized city at all! You can still find old Hong Kong style streets with open market selling food, snacks, groceries and all kinds of stuff. Some of the famous local restaurants are located in those streets; they might look very old and small, but trust me, they are very good!

Food is a big thing in Hong Kong. People even go to sit-down restaurants for breakfast; they call it the “morning tea”. There are hundreds of choices for “morning tea”. One time I had 15 dishes with two of my friends for breakfast. Well the portion of each dish is nothing comparing to restaurants in America, so that people can order more and enjoy the variety of food. So take a walk outside in the morning and find some street food to eat, don’t be lazy and order breakfast to your hotel room!

If you love shopping, Hong Kong would be a paradise for you. As far as I know, some people go to Hong Kong just for shopping. It is a place where you can find both western products and eastern brands, and the prices of some products, comparing to main land China, are much cheaper.

There are so much that you can do in Hong Kong, just like you will never get bored in New York. Thus, I would definitely recommend Hong Kong as a five-star tourist city.

How about a Trip without a Plan?

Life is what happens while you’re busy planning other things. --- John Lennon

I was looking through the pictures that I took during traveling today. I realized that most of my traveling highlights happen without a plan. The good times and memorable experiences have almost never happened under my planning. So when you travel, just enjoy it and go with the flow guys!

 I hopped on a bus with few friends and ended up climbing down to a 

snorkeling ocean through a lava trail. Absolutely the best experience in Hawaii!

I believe that the most important part in traveling is not what you have seen along the way but what you have experienced and remembered. The ultimate goal to visit a foreign place is to appreciate and acknowledge the culture differences. I enjoy traveling with my own pace, stop and go… I like to stop for more than a picture's time, after all a picture can only remind me of how the place looked like not how I felt about there.

The time has passed 12 am and it's officially 2013 in China, so everyone happy Chinese New Year!

My Hometown Qingdao

Out of all the cities I've been too, I like Qingdao, my hometown, the best. In fact, it was named the most livable city in China.

A German style Church in Qingdao

I went on Wikipedia and searched "Qingdao". A whole lot of information came up and they are pretty accurate, so I added one saying that I love to describe Qingdao with. Here is the before and after:

The unique combination of German and Chinese architecture in the city centre, combined with German demographic roots and a large Korean expatriate population, gives Qingdao a distinct atmosphere. A larger number of areas in former foreign styles are well preserved. Although the new city area is under large-scale reconstruction, the old city area (especially Taixi) still retains some traditional buildings.

The unique combination of German and Chinese architecture in the city centre, combined with German demographic roots and a large Korean expatriate population, gives Qingdao a distinct atmosphere. An old saying discribed Qingdao as a city of "red tiles green trees, blue sky and blue sea." This saying indeed gives a picture of birdview of Qingdao. A larger number of areas in former foreign styles are well preserved. Although the new city area is under large-scale reconstruction, the old city area (especially Taixi) still retains some traditional buildings.

I hope you all can visit Qingdao someday!